Iran publicly hanged two men convicted of raping and murdering young girls in the northern Mazandaran province

Rwanda said a law abolishing the death penality would come into force at the end of July, six months after

The president of the breakaway enclave of Somaliland commuted death sentences against two men

a Ho Chi Minh City court in Vietnam sentenced four drug traffickers, including a woman, to death for leading a ring trading in over 10,000 ecstasy pills, 700g of methamphetamine, 600g of heroin and 600g of ketamin in 2003-2005.

"I would like to reassure Mr Pannella and the public that we are working: we have prepared the text for the resolution and sent it to the German EU presidency. We are contacting all countries we think may become co-sponsors of this initiative." This is what the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Massimo D'Alema, interviewed by Radio Radicale, said about the initiative for the universal moratorium on capital executions and the announced start of a thirst strike by Marco Pannella and the other radical activists, who have all been on an indefinite hunger strike for a month and a half.

the former head of China's top food and drug safety agency was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to

Five Chinese nationals, a Dutchman and a Frenchman who appealed against the length of their convictions

the Malaysian government is set to add contamination of water to its list of capital offences.

China has called on Western countries to put aside fears about its death penalty and sign

Marco Pannella, Sergio D'Elia and the seven other top radical figures and activists committed to an indefinite hunger strike since April 16 have once again addressed Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Massimo D'Alema:

The Florida Supreme Court reduced a death sentence to life without parole because of the defendant's

The European Union is deeply concerned by recent developments in the human rights situation in Iran. The